JP6033377B1 - Single wheel caster - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a single-wheel caster capable of easily and reliably locking or releasing the rotation of a caster body and the rotation of a single wheel. A swivel stop gear 9 is concentrically fixed to the outer periphery of a hollow swivel shaft 5 disposed on a mounted body, and is pivotally supported by the head. One end of the head can be pivoted by a support shaft 11. A rocking lever 10 that is configured to be rockable by locking the rocking end 10a at the other end of the mounting and interlocking with the tip of the operation wire 4, and a rotation stopping ring disposed on the side surface of the single wheel 7. 14a, 14b, rotating stoppers 13a, 13b, which are disposed at the swinging end of the swinging lever and engage with the rotation stop ring to stop the rotation of the single wheel when the operation wire is locked, swinging of the swinging lever A double torsion that is arranged at the end and urges the swing stoppers 19a and 19b and the swing lever to swing in the unlocking direction to engage the swing stop gear and stop the swing of the head when the operation wire is locked. Spring 1 Having. [Selection] Figure 9

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a brakeable single-wheel caster disposed on a mounted body such as a nurse skirt, a wagon, a floor-top base, an overhead table, or an industrial carriage used in a hospital.

  Conventionally, as this kind of overhead table, a plurality of twin-wheel casters are arranged at the bottom, and these twin-wheel casters are braked (locked) via an operation transmission wire, while releasing the lock. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  However, this twin-wheel caster can lock (brake) the rotation of the two-wheels, but does not have means for locking the turn of the caster body that is turnable with respect to the overhead table.

  This is because in the case of a twin-wheel caster, the rotation of the caster body can be stopped (locked) almost simultaneously by locking and stopping the rotation of the twin wheels almost simultaneously.

  On the other hand, in the case of a single wheel caster, turning of the caster body cannot be stopped (locked) even if the single wheel, that is, the wheel is stopped (locked).

  For this reason, when a single-wheel caster that cannot lock such turning is used for an attachment such as an overhead table or a nurse skirt, the caster body turns even if the rotation of the single wheel is locked. Since it is possible, wobbling and backlash are likely to occur in these mounted bodies.

  As a result, for example, there is a problem that the difficulty of various operations such as the use of a nurse's personal computer on the nurse skirt and the entry of a medical record increases.

  Thus, some conventional single-wheel casters are provided with both means for stopping the rotation of the wheels and means for stopping the turning of the caster body (see, for example, Patent Document 2). .

Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-50654 Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-40291

  The turning lock means of the conventional single-wheel caster 1 described in Patent Document 2 described above causes the turning stop plate portion 19 disposed below the sliding shaft 18 to move up and down by rotating the rod 3a, thereby turning the caster body. And the neutral position C1 where both the rotation of the single wheel is free, that is, both the turning and the rotation are possible, the position C2 where only the turning of the caster body is locked, and the position C3 where the turning of the caster body and the rotation of the single wheel are stopped almost simultaneously. It can be selected.

  However, since these single-wheel casters 1 are generally disposed at the bottom of an attached body such as a knurled skirt, the rod 3a is located below the bottom of the attached body.

  For this reason, a user such as a nurse has to bend the body and rotate the rod 3a, which is troublesome and must rotate the rod 3a for each of the plurality of single wheel casters 1. For a busy nurse, the physical burden is extremely large.

  Further, since there are C2 and C3 positions on both sides of the neutral position C1, when the swivel stop plate 19 is moved from C2 to C3 and vice versa, the neutral position C1 is always passed.

  For this reason, when moving between C2 which locks only the turning of the caster body and C3 which locks both the turning of the caster body and the rotation of the single wheel, it always passes through the neutral position C1 on the way. . For this reason, both the turning of the caster body and the locking of the rotation of the single wheel are always released once at the neutral position C1. For this reason, since the single-wheel caster can always turn both the caster body and the single wheel for a period of time, both the caster body can turn and run, and the attached body such as the knurled skirt is extremely unstable. In addition to being in a state, there is a problem that it is difficult to stationary and fix the skirt or the like at a predetermined position.

  Moreover, the change of the control positions C1 to C3 requires that the rotation operation of the rods 3a of the plurality of single-wheel casters 1 is sequentially performed for all the units, and it takes a considerable time to complete all the units. When the mounting floor surface of the mounting body is inclined, traveling and turning are possible, which is extremely dangerous. That is, when this single-wheel caster 1 is used for a nurse skirt or the like, it is a fatal defect.

  Further, the engaging force between the turning stop plate 19 and the direction restricting plate 13 thereabove depends only on the spring force of the spring 8 that constantly urges the sliding shaft 18 in the upward brake release direction. The engaging force between the stop plate 19 and the direction regulating plate 13 is not always strong, and the engaging force is also weak. For this reason, the engagement between the turning stop plate 19 and the direction regulating plate 13 is easily disengaged. In this case, since the caster body can turn suddenly, there is a risk that the knurled skirt or the like may swing greatly. For this reason, if the spring force of the spring 8 is increased, the elastic force that elastically presses the rod 3a via the sliding shaft 18, the cam flow pin 6 and the lock cam 3 is increased. The resistance against the rotational force that rotates 3a is further increased. Accordingly, the difficulty of manually rotating the rod 3a increases.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a single-wheel caster capable of easily and reliably performing the rotation of the caster body and the locking or releasing of the rotation of the single wheel almost simultaneously.

  The single-wheel caster according to the present embodiment has a hollow swivel shaft attached to a body to be mounted, a head that supports the hollow swivel shaft so as to be able to turn around its central axis, and a single wheel that is rotatably supported by the head. A single wheel caster and a tip that moves forward and double in the axial direction in response to a lock operation to stop the rotation of the single wheel and a release operation to release the lock, and extends through the hollow part of the hollow revolving shaft into the head And a plurality of flexible operation wires.

  In addition, it is concentrically fixed to the outer periphery of the hollow swivel shaft, and is provided with an annular engaging portion for turning prevention that is turnably supported by the head, and one end portion is rotatably attached to the head, while the other end portion is operated with an operation wire. A rocking lever configured to be rockable by being interlocked with the tip of the wheel, an annular engagement portion for rotation prevention disposed concentrically on the side surface of the single wheel, and a rocking end of the rocking lever And a rotation stopper for stopping the rotation of the single wheel by releasably engaging with the rotation engaging ring engaging portion when the operation wire is locked, and a rocking end of the rocking lever. A return spring that urges a swing stopper and a swing lever to always swing in the unlocking direction by engaging and disengaging with an annular engaging portion for stopping rotation when locking the operation wire to stop the head from turning. And a locking device.

  According to the present invention, for example, by performing a lock operation or a lock release operation once with an operation unit, a plurality of single-wheel caster heads (caster bodies) can be swung through a plurality of operation wires. The rotation of the wheel can be locked (braking) almost simultaneously, or the lock can be released almost simultaneously.

The front schematic diagram of the nurse skirt which comprised the single-wheel caster which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The external appearance front view of the operation unit shown in FIG. The external appearance perspective view of the operation unit shown in FIG. The front view which shows the internal structure at the time of lock operation of the operation unit shown in FIG. The external appearance front view at the time of unlocking operation of the operation unit shown in FIG. The front view which shows the internal structure at the time of lock release operation of the operation unit shown in FIG. The front view of the single-wheel caster shown in FIG. (A) is a perspective view of the single wheel caster shown in FIG. 7, (b) is an enlarged plan view of the rear end portion of the head. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the single-wheel caster mounting housing, the slewing bearing, the head, and the like at the time of locking shown in FIG. 8 when illustration is omitted. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the single wheel caster when the locking shown in FIG. 9 is omitted. The left view of the single-wheel caster at the time of the lock | rock shown in FIG. The left side view of a single-wheel caster when a rotation stopper contact | abuts the convex part of a rotation stop ring at the time of locking operation. The top view when the tire of the single-wheel caster at the time of the lock | rock shown in FIG. 10 is abbreviate | omitted. The principal part perspective view of the single-wheel caster at the time of lock release. The front view of the single-wheel caster at the time of the lock | rock which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The front view of a rotation type operation unit. The front view of other embodiment which comprised the suboperation unit.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the plurality of drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  1 is a schematic front view of a nurse skirt (nursing cart) equipped with a single wheel caster according to the first embodiment, FIGS. 2 to 6 show the operation unit shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 7 to 13 show FIG. The single-wheel caster shown by is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a nurse skirt 1, which is an example of an attached body, is, for example, substantially entirely made of sheet metal, and has, for example, a rectangular flat plate shape on a column 1b erected on a rectangular flat plate bottom plate 1a. A work table 1c, which is a top plate, is provided, and a gate-shaped handle 1d, for example, a metal round bar is fixed to one end of the work table 1c.

  The work table 1c is configured such that various medical instruments, PCs (personal computers), medical charts, writing tools, and the like used by medical staff such as nurses can be placed on the upper surface of the work table 1c. At the lower side, various baskets (basis) (not shown) and necessary tools are attached.

  The work table 1c has the operation unit 2 attached to the lower surfaces of the left and right ends in FIG. In FIG. 1, the operation unit 2 and the single wheel caster 3 are displayed exaggeratedly than the actual one for the convenience of illustration.

  The bottom plate 1a has a plurality of, for example, four single-wheel casters 3, 3,. At least two of these single-wheel casters 3, 3,... Are configured as brake casters that can be braked, and the other are non-brake casters that cannot be braked. The braking caster 3 is disposed at a position opposite to the diagonal direction of the bottom plate 1a. Each brake caster 3 is connected to the operation unit 2 via two flexible operation wires 4 so as to be interlocked with each other. The turning and rotation of the wheel casters 3 and 3 can be locked almost simultaneously, or the locks can be released almost simultaneously.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the operation unit 2 includes a flat or rectangular unit case 201 made of metal or resin, a lever handle 202, and a wire drawer tube 203. The unit case 201 includes a base 201a having a bottomed flat rectangular tube shape, and a base cover 201b that closes an open end of the base 201a on the near side in the drawing. Each tubular wire drawing tube 203 is formed integrally with each of the base 201a and the base cover 201b in a half-divided state of the circular tube, and by attaching and closing the base cover 201b on the open end of the base 201a, It is formed in a circular tube shape.

  The lever handle 202 has an operation shaft 202a connected in an orthogonal direction to one end portion (left end portion in FIG. 3), and a wide paddle portion 202b is integrally provided at the other end portion.

  2 and 3 show the appearance of the operation unit 2 when the lever handle 202 is operated to the lock position, and FIG. 4 shows the internal mechanism of the operation unit 2 during the lock operation.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the operation unit 2, a rectangular frame-shaped slider 205 is slidably fitted into a rectangular recess-shaped inner bottom 204 of the base 201a, and the slider 205 is inserted in the longitudinal direction of the inner bottom 204 (FIG. 4). It is slidable in the middle and left and right directions and can be reciprocated.

  The inner bottom portion 204 forms a support portion that rotatably supports the operation shaft 202 a of the lever handle 202 in the rectangular opening 205 a of the slider 205. A polygonal cam 206 is fixed to the outer periphery of the operation shaft 202a. The cam 206 is inserted into a fitting hole of the drive shaft 207a of the drive link 207, and the drive link 207 is driven according to the rotation of the operation shaft 202a. The shaft 207a is rotated to swing the right end portion of the drive link 207 in the drawing around the drive shaft 207a.

  The drive link 207 is pivotally connected at its swing end (right end in FIG. 4) to one end (left end in FIG. 4) of the driven link 208 via the first connecting pin 207b. The driven link 208 is rotatably connected at its right end portion in FIG. 4 to a tongue piece 205b protruding from the right end corner portion of the rectangular opening 205a of the slider 205 by a second connecting pin 208a.

  The drive link 207 is integrally provided with a holding projection 207c that projects downward in the figure below the swing end at the right end in FIG.

  The holding projection 207c is formed in the rectangular opening 205a of the slider 205 when the lever handle 202 is operated to the lock operation position and the drive link 207 and the driven link 208 are arranged in a substantially straight line as shown in FIG. The drive link 207 and the driven link 208 are kept in a substantially straight line state. That is, the slider 205 is always pulled to the left in the figure by the pulling force of the double torsion spring 12 described later of the single-wheel caster 3 through the two operation wires 4 and 4, so that the lever handle 202 is locked. When the slider 205 is operated to the position, the slider 205 slides to the right end side in the drawing against the tensile force of the double torsion spring 12, and the holding projection 207c of the slider 205 tries to move downward in the drawing. The holding projection 207c contacts the lower part of the rectangular opening 205a of the slider 205 in the figure and presses downward in the figure. As a result, further downward movement in the figure is restricted, so that the substantially linear arrangement state of the drive link 207 and the driven link 208 is maintained.

  Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lever handle 202 is maintained in the lock operation state when operated to the lower right in the figure.

  The slider 205 has two locking holes 205c and 205c for locking a plurality of, for example, two metal operation wires 4 and 4 at the left end in FIG. In these locking holes 205c, 205c, small columnar locking end portions 4a, 4a coupled to one end portions (the right end portion in FIG. 4) of the two operation wires 4, 4 are fitted in the axial direction. I support it.

  Each of these operation wires 4 is inserted through each wire drawing tube 203 and extended to the outside of the unit case 201, and is strongly pulled toward the right side in FIG. 4 when the lever handle 202 is locked.

  FIG. 5 is an external front view of the operation unit 2 when the lever handle 202 is operated to the unlocking position in the horizontal direction, and FIG. 6 shows the internal configuration of the operation unit 2 during the unlocking operation.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the lever handle 202 is operated to the unlocking position in the horizontal direction, the operation shaft 202a rotates a required angle counterclockwise in FIG. At this time, the slider 205 is always loaded with a pulling force that pulls toward the left end in FIG. 6 by the double torsion spring 12 that is a return spring. Therefore, the swing end of the drive link 207 at the right end in FIG. Rotating counterclockwise about 207a, the drive link 207 and the follower link 208 are bent into a generally U shape.

  As a result, the right end portion of the slider 205 in the drawing is pulled toward the operation shaft 202a side, and the entire slider 205 is pulled by the double torsion spring 12 and slides toward the left end side of the unit case 201. Is held in a state of being pulled leftward in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a front view of a single wheel caster 3 that is equipped with a lock device A that is remotely operated by the operation unit 2 via the operation wire 4 and can be braked, and FIG. 8A is a perspective view thereof. . The non-braking single wheel caster 3 is different from the brakeable single wheel caster 3 in that it does not include the lock device A that is remotely controlled by the operation wire 4, and the other configuration is the same. As shown in these drawings, the braking caster 3 is, for example, a rectangular flat plate-shaped mounting housing for fixing four places on the upper end of the opening of the cylindrical portion 301c of the head 301 which is a caster body via a disk-shaped bearing cover 303. 302 is fixed.

  The head 301 accommodates a plurality of bearing balls in its cylindrical portion 301c to form a ball bearing, and a bearing cover 303 disposed so as to cover the upper end of the opening of the cylindrical portion 301c is provided around the hollow pivot shaft 5. It is supported so that it can rotate. The bearing cover 303 is integrally coupled to the lower surface of the mounting housing 302 in the figure.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the mounting housing 302 is provided with mounting holes 302a at four corners thereof, and shafts of mounting bolts, for example, are inserted into the four mounting holes 302a. The nut is fastened to the insertion end portion, and is attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate 1a of the skirt 1 of the attached body with four stops.

  The mounting housing 302 and the bearing cover 303 are formed so that a circular center hole 302b penetrates in the center portion in the thickness direction, and a metal straight hollow cylindrical hollow is formed in the center portion of the center hole 302b. The turning shaft 5 is inserted concentrically. For example, a hexagonal fastening nut 6 is fastened to a screw portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion in the drawing of the hollow turning shaft 5. With this fastening nut 6, the hollow turning shaft 5 is fastened and fixed to the mounting housing 302 and the bearing cover 303. The hexagonal fastening nut 6 is fastened and fixed to the gear main body 901 in a state where it is fitted in a hexagonal hole of the gear main body 901 of a circular dish-shaped anti-rotation gear 9 described later. That is, since the hollow turning shaft 5 is fastened and fixed to the mounting housing 302, the bearing cover 303, and the gear body 901, the head 301 is configured to rotate (turn) around the hollow turning shaft 5. . The hollow turning shaft 5 is formed in a hollow tube having an insertion hole penetrating the entire length in the axial direction in the axial center portion and having both axial ends open.

  The hollow swivel shaft 5 has a single operation wire 4 covered with a flexible synthetic resin outer tube 4b inserted through the insertion hole.

  The head 301 has a pair of left and right forks 301 a that fix the left and right ends of the axle 701 of the single wheel 7. Each fork 301a is fixed to a shaft end portion of an axle 701 made of a bolt by tightening a fixing nut 701a. A single wheel 7 is rotatably disposed via a wheel bearing 8 at an intermediate portion in the axial direction of the axle shaft 701.

  FIG. 9 shows a locking device A and the like disposed in the head 301. This locking device A is a rotation stopper that is an example of an annular engagement portion for rotation prevention at an axial intermediate portion of the hollow rotation shaft 5. The gear 9 is fixed.

  The anti-swivel gear 9 has a recess 902 that rotatably accommodates a plurality of bearing balls (not shown) in the inner periphery of a substantially circular dish-shaped gear body 901. These bearing balls are rotatably interposed between the concave portion 902 and the bottom portion of the cylindrical portion 301 c of the head 301, and revolve with the hollow revolving shaft 5 with respect to the head 301.

  The rotation stop gear 9 has a plurality of engaging claws 903, 903,... Formed at a required pitch on the outer peripheral edge of the gear body 901. Engaging recesses 904 are formed between the engaging claws 903 adjacent in the circumferential direction.

  A swing lever 10 made of sheet metal or the like is disposed in the middle portion between the rotation stop gear 9 and the single wheel 7 in the vertical direction in the figure.

  The swing lever 10 has a substantially U-shaped lever body 101 that extends outward in the diametrical direction (right side in FIG. 9) above the left and right side surfaces of the single wheel 7.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lever main body 101 is formed in a plane U shape by closing one end portion (right end portion in the drawing) of a pair of left and right (front and rear direction in the drawing) flat plate lever plates 101 a and 101 b. In addition, a support shaft 11 that is a shaft portion of a bolt that connects these in the left-right direction is horizontally mounted on the projecting end portion that projects to the required length from the U-shaped closed end portion (right side in FIG. 9). doing. As shown in FIG. 8B, one end of the support shaft 11 in the axial direction is rotatably attached to one side surface of the head 301 by a nut 11a. Thereby, the swing lever 10 is configured to be swingable around the support shaft 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, both ends of a U-shaped double torsion spring 12, which is an example of a return spring, are wound around both ends in the axial direction of the support shaft 11 inside the head 301. That is, the double torsion spring 12 is formed by winding a pair of left and right ends 12a, 12b of the U-shaped opening end around the outer periphery of the support shaft 11, and then locking the lever to the upper end of the longitudinal intermediate portion of the lever body 101. The swinging end 10a of the main body 101 is always pushed downward in the figure.

  Further, the double torsion spring 12 has its U-shaped closed end 12c slightly protruded from the opening 301e of the rear end 301d of the head 301 in the drawing as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b). ing. The U-shaped closed end portion 12c is locked to the inner surface of the intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the upwardly protruding arc-shaped locking tongue piece 301f that slightly protrudes outward from the opening 301e of the head 301. Thereby, the double torsion spring 12 is configured as a return spring that urges the swing end 10a at the left end of the swing lever 10 in the drawing to be always pushed downward in the drawing.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the pair of left and right lever plates 101a and 101b are provided with rotation stoppers 13a and 13b which are a pair of left and right engaging claws protruding downward on the lower side of the swinging end 10a side. They are all coupled together. These rotation stoppers 13a and 13b are a plurality of engagement recesses 15 of rotation stop rings 14a and 14b, which are an example of a pair of left and right rotation stop annular engagement portions fixed concentrically to the left and right side surfaces of the single wheel 7, respectively. It is formed as an engaging claw that engages and disengages inside.

  Each rotation stop ring 14a, 14b forms a plurality of engaging recesses 15 at a required interval in the circumferential direction, and the engaging projections 16 between the engaging recesses 15 adjacent in the circumferential direction. Are formed respectively.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the swing lever 10 expands outward in the left-right direction (the front-rear direction in the drawings in FIGS. 9 and 10) to the swing end 10a that is the U-shaped opening end. Expanded end portions 10b and 10c are formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, left and right end portions 17 a and 17 b of a stopper link 17 made of a sheet metal having a substantially E-shaped planar shape are simply placed on the bottom portions of the expanded end portions 10 b and 10 c in the drawing. doing. The stopper link 17 has its E-shaped intermediate portion 17c raised in an inverted L shape, and an inverted L-shaped slit 17e is formed in the upper end portion 17d.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the slit 17 e is formed to have a width that allows the distal end portion (lower end portion in the drawing) of the operation wire 4 to be inserted, and narrower than the locking ball 4 c coupled to the distal end portion of the operation wire 4. The locking ball 4c is locked. An insertion hole 17f through which the locking ball 4c is inserted from the lateral direction is formed at the lower end of the slit 17e in the drawing.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the E-shaped stopper link 17 has a pair of left and right shock absorbers 18a and 18b erected on left and right ends 17a and 17b of the E shape. A pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a and 19b are projected on 18b.

  The shock absorbers 18a and 18b have a pair of left and right mounting plates 181a and 181b, coil springs 182a and 182b, and mounting bolts 183a and 183b for mounting the coil springs 182a and 182b to the stopper link 17. The mounting bolts 183a and 183b are inserted through the central annular space of the coil springs 182a and 182b, the left and right ends 17a and 17b of the stopper link 17 and the pair of left and right widened ends 10b and 10c, respectively. The protrusions that pass through 10b and 10c and protrude downward in the figure are fastened and fixed by attachment nuts 184a and 184b at the lower ends of the attachment plates 181a and 181b in the figure.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the pair of left and right coil springs 182a, 182b are interposed between the upper end portions 181c, 181d of the mounting plates 181a, 181b and the left and right end portions 17a, 17b of the stopper link 17. . The insertion lower ends of the mounting bolts 183a and 183b that pass through the central annular spaces of the coil springs 182a and 182b in the axial direction are the bottoms of the pair of left and right widened ends 10b and 10c of the swing lever 10 (the lower ends in the figure). ) Are fastened by mounting nuts 184a and 184b, respectively. The mounting bolts 183a and 183b are disposed on the upper end portions 181c and 181d of the mounting plates 181a and 181b by fastening a pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a and 19b together. Accordingly, the pair of left and right coil springs 182a and 182b can be elastically compressed in the axial direction of the shaft portion of the mounting bolts 183a and 183b.

  A pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a and 19b projecting upward in the drawing are raised at upper end portions 181c and 181d of the pair of left and right mounting plates 181a and 181b.

  The turning stoppers 19a and 19b are formed on engaging claws that are detachably engaged with the engaging recesses 904 of the turning stop gear 9.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the pair of left and right turning stoppers 19 a and 19 b are formed at substantially right and left symmetrical positions in the orthogonal direction (horizontal direction) with respect to the locking ball 4 c at the tip of the operation wire 4.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

(Lock (stop) operation)
When stopping the skirt 1 to stop at a predetermined position and locking it, the paddle 202b of the lever handle 202 of the operation unit 2 is pushed to the lower right in the figure as shown in FIGS. Rotate from the horizontal position to the lock operation position at the lower right in the figure.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive link 207 rotates counterclockwise around the operation shaft 202a. For this purpose, the drive link 207 and the driven link 208 are arranged in a substantially straight line and extend, and the slider 205 moves on the inner bottom portion 204 of the base 201a against the pulling force of the double torsion spring 12 in the left direction in the figure. Slide to move to the right end of the inner bottom 204.

  That is, the tension force of the double torsion spring 12 of the return spring of each caster 3 that is always pulled to the left in the drawing via the two operation wires 4 and 4 acts on the slider 205. For this purpose, the holding projection 207c of the drive link 207 moves to the inner side surface (lower surface in the figure) side of the opening 205a of the slider 205, and comes into contact with this lower surface and presses downward. Movement in the middle and lower direction is restricted. For this reason, the extended state where the drive link 207 and the driven link 208 are arranged in a substantially straight line is held (locked).

  As a result, the slider 205 is held at a position (lock position) where the slider 205 moves to the right end side in the figure of the base 201a.

  Thus, since the slider 205 moves to the right end side in the figure of the base 201a, the two operation wires 4 and 4 are pulled to the right end side in the figure against the tensile force of the double torsion spring 12 of each caster 3. .

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, each operation wire 4 is pulled upward in the figure against the spring force of the double torsion spring 12 of each caster 3, and the stopper link 17 is shown in FIG. Pulled upward in the middle. Thereby, a pair of left and right widened end portions 10b and 10c of the swing lever 10 connected to the stopper link 17 by the lower ends of the pair of mounting plates 181a and 181b of the pair of left and right shock absorbers 18a and 18b are shown in the figure. Pulled up.

  For this reason, the rocking end 10a of the rocking lever 10 rotates around the support shaft 11, so that the rotation stoppers 13a and 13b are pulled upward in the figure.

  As a result, the pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a and 19b and the pair of left and right rotation stoppers 13a and 13b are pulled up substantially simultaneously in the drawing.

  For this purpose, the distal ends, which are the locking claws of the rotation stoppers 13a and 13b, are inserted into and engaged with the engagement recesses 15 of the rotation stopper rings 14a and 14b, so that they are fixed to the rotation stopper rings 14a and 14b. The rotation of the single wheel 7 is stopped (locked).

  On the other hand, since the turning stoppers 19a and 19b are also lifted upward, the engaging claw which is the tip of the turning stoppers 19a and 19b is inserted into the engaging recess 904 of the turning stop gear 9 and engaged. The rotation around the center axis of the hollow turning shaft 5 fixed to the turning stop gear 9, that is, turning is also stopped (locked).

  That is, by manually operating the lever handle 202 of one operation unit 2 to the lock operation position, the rotation (turning) of the two brakeable single wheel casters 3 around the hollow turning shaft 5 and the rotation of the single wheel 7 The rotation can be stopped (locked) almost simultaneously.

(Unlock (free) operation)
On the other hand, when the lock of the caster 3 is released and the nurser skirt 1 can be run (moved), the paddle portion 202b of the lever handle 202 of the operation unit 2 in the locked position as shown in FIG. It is pushed upward and rotated to the horizontal unlocking operation position shown in FIG.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the slider 205 is always pulled to the left by the two operation wires 4 and 4, so that the slider 205 comes into contact with the lower part of the rectangular opening 205a in FIG. The holding projection 207c of the drive link 207 that has been locked is unlocked and flipped upward in the figure.

  For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotational end of the drive link 207 is rotated counterclockwise around the operation shaft 202a by the pulling force to the left of the pair of operation wires 4, 4 in the drawing, The drive link 207 and the driven link 208 are bent in a U-shape.

  For this reason, the tongue piece 205b of the slider 205 connected to the driven link 208 is drawn toward the operation shaft 202a. As a result, the entire slider 205 is moved to the left end side of the base 201a in the drawing.

  As a result, the two operation wires 4 and 4 that are locked to the left end portion of the slider 205 in the drawing are further pulled toward the caster 3 side by the tensile force of the double torsion spring 12 of the caster 3.

  For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 14, the swinging end 10a of the swinging lever 10 of the caster 3 is rotated around the support shaft 11 by the spring force of the double torsion spring 12, and is pushed downward in the figure. Since this rocking end 10a is connected to the stopper link 17 by a pair of mounting plates 181a and 181b of a pair of left and right shock absorbers 18a and 18b, this stopper link 17 is also coil springs 182a and 182b of the shock absorbers 18a and 18b. It is pushed down in the figure by the spring force.

  As a result, the pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a and 19b are pushed downward in the figure than the turning stop gear 9, so that the engagement state (lock) with the engagement recess 904 of the turning stop gear 9 is released.

  Further, the pair of left and right rotation stoppers 13a and 13b are also pushed downward in the figure on the center side of the rotation prevention rings 14a and 14b, so that the pair of left and right rotation stoppers 13a and 13b and the rotation prevention rings 14a and 14b are engaged. (Lock) is released almost simultaneously.

  Accordingly, by manually operating the lever handle 202 of one operation unit 2 to the unlocked position, the rotation of the two brakeable casters 3 around the hollow revolving shaft 5 and the rotation of the single wheel 7 can be performed. The lock can be released almost simultaneously.

  That is, by manually operating the lever handle 202 of one operation unit 2 to the locked position or the unlocked position, the two casters 3 are turned around the hollow turning shaft 5 and the rotation of the single wheel 7 is locked and released. Can be remotely controlled almost simultaneously.

  Further, in general, in the single wheel 7, if only the rotation of the single wheel 7 is locked but the turning around the hollow turning shaft 5 is not locked, the caster 3 turns around the hollow turning shaft 5. There is a risk of shaking and rattling. However, in this embodiment, both the turning around the hollow turning shaft 5 and the rotation of the single wheel 7 are locked almost simultaneously, so that the skirt 1 can be prevented from shaking and wobbling.

  Since the lever handle 202 of the operation unit 2 is a lever handle having a required length using a lever (lever), the manual operation force of the lever handle 202 can be reduced. Moreover, the unlocking operation can be performed with a small operating force that gently pushes up the paddle portion 202b of the lever handle 202 so as to unlock the holding projection 207c of the drive link 207.

  Moreover, since the operation unit 2 exists in the upper part of the nurse skirt 1 as shown in FIG. 1, a user such as a nurse can easily operate the operation unit 2 without bending.

  Further, since the swing lever 10 of the caster 3 also has a link structure that uses a lever (lever), it is possible to increase the swing force that swings the swing lever 10 around the support shaft 11. That is, since the lever handle 202 of the operation unit 2 and the swing lever 10 of the caster 3 use the lever (lever), the swing force of the swing lever 10 can be enhanced by the synergistic action. The operation force of the lever handle 202 can be reduced together.

  For this reason, both the engagement force between the rotation stop gear 9 and the rotation stoppers 19a and 19b and the engagement force between the rotation stop rings 14a and 14b and the rotation stoppers 13a and 13b can be increased. It is possible to enhance both the locking force to be stopped and the unlocking force.

  As a result, it is possible to increase the fixing force for fixing the skirt 1 to the stationary position, while improving both the certainty of unlocking and the quickness.

  Further, depending on the timing of rotation of the single wheel 7, both the rotation stoppers 13a and 13b, which are locking protrusions, and the engagement protrusions 15 of the rotation stopper rings 14a and 14b, that is, the protrusions and the protrusions contact each other. There are cases where they do not engage with each other. In this case, only the stopper link 17 is pulled upward by the operation wire 4 by the operation of locking the operation unit 2 as shown in FIG.

  That is, because the stopper link 17 is connected to the expanded end portions 10b and 10c of the swing lever 10 by the mounting plates 181a and 181b of the pair of left and right shock absorbers 18a and 18b, when the operation unit 2 is locked, The expanded end portions 10 b and 10 c rise together with the stopper link 17.

  However, the widened end portions 10b and 10c of the swing lever 10 have a pair of left and right protrusions disposed on the swing lever 10 and the rotation stoppers 13a and 13b are engaging protrusions of the rotation stop rings 14a and 14b. Since it hits 15 and 15, it cannot raise above the hitting position, but stops below that. For this reason, the rotation stoppers 13a and 13b cannot be engaged with the rotation stop rings 14a and 14b, and the single wheel 7 is not stopped (locked).

  The stopper links 17 are lifted upward by the operation wire 4 while the rising ends 10b and 10c are stopped, so that the stopper links 17 are elastic forces of the coil springs 182a and 182b of the shock absorbers 18a and 18b. The coil springs 182a and 182b are contracted in the axial direction by rising along the axes of the pair of mounting bolts 183a and 183b. Thereby, the lever handle 202 of the operation unit 2 can be fully turned to the lock operation position. As a result, the lever handle 202 is held in this lock operation position.

  Therefore, when the single wheel 7 is slightly rotated in the required direction, the rotation stop rings 14 a and 14 b are slightly rotated simultaneously with the single wheel 7. Thereby, when the rotation stoppers 13a and 13b which are convex parts slide and move to the engagement concave parts 16 and 16 adjacent to the convex part 15 of the rotation stopper rings 14a and 14, they have been pressed downward until now. The double torsion spring 12 pushes the pair of rotation stoppers 13a and 13b upward by the elastic restoring force so as to be inserted into the engagement recesses 16a and 16b of the rotation stopper rings 14a and 14b.

  For this reason, the rotation of the single wheel 7 is stopped (locked), and the widened end portions 10b and 10c of the swing lever 10 and the pair of left and right swivel stoppers 19a and 19b on the widened end portions 10b and 10c are prevented from swiveling. The pair of coil springs 182a and 182b that have been raised to the gear 9 and contracted so far extend in the axial direction and elastically press the turning stoppers 19a and 19b, which are a pair of locking claws. It is inserted into the engaging recess 904 and engaged. As a result, the rotation of the caster 3 around the hollow rotary shaft 5, that is, the turning is forcibly stopped (locked).

  Accordingly, after the rotation of the single wheel 7 is stopped (locked), the turning of the caster 3 around the hollow turning shaft 5 is stopped (locked).

  Then, both the rotation stoppers 13a and 13b, which are locking protrusions, and the engagement protrusions 15 of the rotation stopper rings 14a and 14b, that is, the protrusions and the protrusions come into contact with each other at the timing of rotation of the single wheel 7. Even when not engaged, the operation lever 202 can be fully turned to the locked position and held in the locked position. Therefore, by rotating the single wheel 7 slightly in the locked state, the rotation of the single wheel 7 and the head 301 can be rotated. The turn can be automatically locked almost simultaneously.

  The pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a, 19b are engaged from both the left and right sides of the turning stop gear 9 to stop turning (locking) the turning stop gear 9. Therefore, the reliability of the lock can be improved. .

  Further, since the pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a and 19b are disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to the operation wire 4 for lifting them, the lifting force of the operation wire 4 is applied to the pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a and 19b. , Can be transmitted almost equally.

  For this reason, the pair of left and right turning stoppers 19a and 19b can be engaged with the turning stop gear 9 almost simultaneously, and the engaging force can be made substantially equal, so that one of these left and right engaging forces is the other. One-side effect that becomes stronger can be reduced.

  The pair of left and right rotation stop rings 14a and 14b are fixed to the left and right side surfaces of the single wheel 7, and the pair of left and right rotation stoppers 13a and 13b are provided on the left and right sides of the single wheel 7, respectively. 14b is engaged with a pair of left and right rotation stoppers 13a, 13b from both sides almost simultaneously to stop (lock) the rotation of the single wheel 7, so that the locking reliability can be improved, The wobbling of the single wheel 7 when locked can be reduced.

  Since the operation unit 2 has a simple configuration in which the operation wire 4 is reciprocated in the axial direction in accordance with the locking operation and the unlocking operation, the configuration can be simplified. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the unlocking operation is performed as shown in FIG. 6, with the holding protrusion 207c of the drive link 207 being locked by being pressed to the lower part of the opening 205a of the slider 205 in the figure. Since it can be performed by slightly pushing up in the middle and releasing the locked state, it is possible to reduce the unlocking operation force.

  Further, since a plurality of operation wires 4, 4 are connected to one operation unit 2, a plurality of casters 3 connected to these operation wires 4, 4 are connected almost simultaneously by one operation unit 2. Remote operation is possible. Three or more operation wires 4, 4,... May be connected to one operation unit 2. According to this, three or more braking casters 3, 3,. Can be remotely controlled at the same time.

  Furthermore, the operation unit 2 simply holds the protrusion 207c for holding on the drive link 207 to hold the lock operation position of the lever handle 202 and the like, so that the lock operation position holding means can be simplified.

  In the above embodiment, for example, two brakeable casters 3 and 3 are provided on the bottom surface of the nurse skirt 1 so as to face each other diagonally, and the other two casters do not have the lock device A. A non-braking caster is used.

  According to this, among the plurality of casters including the non-braking casters, the two braking casters 3 and 3 arranged opposite to each other in the diagonal direction substantially turn around the hollow turning shaft 5 and rotate the single wheel 7. By simultaneously stopping (locking), it is possible to stop (lock) the travel of the entire attached body such as the nurse skirt 1 and make it stationary or fixed at a predetermined position.

  For this reason, the number of braking casters 3 and 3 that are more expensive than non-braking casters can be reduced, and the number of operation units 2 can be reduced to one, so that the overall cost including the attached body such as the knurled skirt 1 can be reduced. Can be achieved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the caster 3 with four stops has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the caster 3A with one stop shown in FIG. 15 may be used. The caster 3A is configured such that the mounting housing 302 for stopping at four places shown in FIG. 7 is omitted, and the bearing cover 303 is rotatably disposed on the upper end of the opening of the cylindrical portion 301c of the head 301. In the figure, the screw part at the upper end is inserted into a mounting hole formed at a required location such as the bottom of the body to be attached such as the skirt 1 and the nut is fastened to the screw part on the outer periphery of the insertion end. It is attached to the body. According to this caster 3A, since it can be directly attached to the attachment body such as the nurse skirt 1 without using the attachment body such as the attachment housing 302, the attachment work can be simplified and speeded up. That is, the number of places where the casters 3 are attached to the attached body may be two or five or more.

  FIG. 16 is a front view of the operation unit 2A for rotating operation, which is a modification of the operation unit 2 including the lever handle 202 shown in FIGS.

  The operation unit 2A for the rotation operation is provided with a rotation knob 202A in place of the lever handle 202, and a rotation shaft (not shown) of the rotation knob 202A is replaced with an operation shaft 202a shown in FIGS. There is a feature in the point. That is, the rotation knob 202A is configured to drive the drive link 207 by its rotation. Other than this, the configuration is the same as that of the operation unit 2 shown in FIGS.

  The turning knob 202A is a lock (STOP) position that stops (locks) the rotation of the single wheel 7 and the turning of the head 301, and allows the single wheel 7 to travel by releasing the lock, and allows the head 301 to turn. A plurality of, for example, two or more operation wires 4, 4 are configured to reciprocate in the axial direction by rotating to an unlocked (GO) position that is enabled. In FIG. 16, reference numeral 1 </ b> A indicates a required mounting surface of the mounted body such as the skirt 1 shown in FIG. 1. According to the operation unit 2A for the rotation operation, the size and weight can be reduced.

  FIG. 17 shows a modification of the above embodiment, in which the sub-operation unit 2B is connected to the operation unit 2 having the lever handle 202 shown in FIG. 1 and the like by a connection link 2C made of sheet metal or the like. Is shown.

  The sub operation unit 2B includes a sub operation lever handle 2B1 that is substantially the same as the lever handle 202 of the operation unit 2, and a sub unit case 2B2 that supports the sub operation lever handle 2B1 so that the sub operation lever handle 2B1 can be rotated.

  The sub operation lever handle 2B1 is configured to be rotatable between a lock position and a lock release position, and a rotation shaft 2B3 rotatably supported by the sub operation unit 2B and one end of the connecting link 2C can be rotated. Sub-connecting pins 2B4 to be connected are provided.

  The other end of the connection link 2 </ b> C is rotatably connected to a main connection pin 209 of the main lever handle 202.

  Therefore, the main lever handle 202 can be remotely operated to the lock position or the unlock position via the connecting link 2C by rotating the sub operation lever handle 2B1 to the lock position or the release position.

  Accordingly, by disposing these main and sub operation units 2 and 2B on the attachment body such as the nurse skirt 1, the user such as nurse can perform a locking operation by one of the main and sub operation units 2 and 2B in the vicinity thereof. Or, it can be unlocked, which is convenient for operation. Moreover, since the sub-operation unit 2B has a simple configuration and is inexpensive, the cost can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the case where two brakeable casters 3 having the lock device A remotely operated by one operation unit 2 or sub-operation unit 2B are provided has been described. The number of main and sub operation units 2 and 2B and casters 3 is not limited.

  While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the present invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Nurse skirt (attachment body), 2 ... Operation unit, 2A ... Rotary operation unit, 2B ... Sub-operation unit, 3 ... Caster, 4 ... Operation wire, 5 ... Hollow turning axis, 7 ... Single wheel, 9 ... Anti-swivel gear (annular engagement portion for anti-swivel), 10... Oscillating lever, 10 a. Stop ring (annular engagement part for rotation prevention), 15 ... engagement convex part, 16 ... engagement concave part, 17 ... stopper link, 18a, 18b ... shock absorber, 19a, 19b ... turning stopper, 202 ... lever handle, 207 ... driving link, 207c ... holding projection, 208 ... driven link, 301 ... head, 302 ... mounting housing, 303 ... bearing cover, 903 ... engagement claw, 904 ... engagement recess, A ... lock Apparatus.

Claims (8)

A hollow swivel shaft disposed on the mounted body, a head that supports the hollow swivel shaft so as to be turnable about its central axis, and a single wheel caster having a single wheel that is rotatably supported by the head;
In response to a locking operation for stopping the rotation of the single wheel by an operation unit disposed on the mounted body and a releasing operation for releasing the locking, the hollow portion of the hollow swivel shaft is moved in the axial direction. A plurality of flexible operation wires having a distal end portion that passes through and extends into the head; and
While being fixed concentrically to the outer periphery of the hollow swivel shaft, an annular engaging portion for turning prevention that is turnably supported by the head, one end portion is rotatably attached to the head, and the other end portion is attached to the head. A swing lever configured to be able to swing by being interlocked with a tip end portion of an operation wire, an annular engagement portion for rotation prevention disposed concentrically on a side surface of the single wheel, A rotation stopper disposed at a rocking end portion to detachably engage with the rotation-preventing annular engagement portion when the operation wire is locked, and to swing the rocking lever. The swing stopper and the swing lever that are disposed at the moving end portion and detachably engage with the rotation-preventing annular engagement portion when the operation wire is locked to stop the turning of the head are always unlocked. Return to oscillate in the direction And a locking device having a root,
A single-wheel caster characterized by comprising: The lock of the operation wire that pulls up the swing end of the swing lever when the rotation stopper is not engaged by being in contact with the convex portion of the rotation stop annular engagement portion during the lock operation by the operation unit. A shock absorber that elastically absorbs the pulling force and holds the lock position of the operation unit;
The single-wheel caster according to claim 1, comprising: The swivel stoppers are respectively disposed at symmetrical positions on both the left and right sides of the distal end portion of the operation wire, and are elastically pressed to the swivel stop annular engagement portion side by the shock absorber. Item 3. The single wheel caster according to item 2. 4. The rotation-preventing annular engagement portion is provided on each of the left and right side surfaces of the single wheel, and the rotation stopper is also provided on each of the left and right sides of the single wheel. The single-wheel caster of any one of Claims. When the plurality of brakeable single-wheel casters having the locking device are arranged together with the plurality of non-braking single-wheel casters not having the locking device, the mounted body is diagonally arranged with the brakeable single-wheel casters. The single-wheel caster according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the single-wheel casters are arranged so as to face each other. The operation unit includes a lever handle that performs a lock operation or a lock release operation, a drive link that is rotated by an operation shaft of the lever handle, a driven link that is rotatably connected to a rotation end of the drive link, and the driven link A slider that is pivotably connected to a pivot end of the first, a base that houses the drive link and the follower link, and a slider that reciprocally moves the slider, and a lever handle that projects from the drive link. 6. A holding projection for holding the lock operation position by slidably abutting and pressing the inner wall of the base during the lock operation. Single-wheel casters as described in 1. The operation unit has a rotation knob for performing a lock operation or a lock release operation instead of the lever handle, and is configured to rotate the drive link by a rotation shaft of the rotation knob. The single wheel caster according to claim 6 characterized by things. The single-wheel caster according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising: a sub-operation unit having a sub-operation lever coupled to the lever handle so as to be interlocked and performing a lock operation or a lock release operation.

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